College Football Power Rankings, Week 2

Jamie Newberg

09/08/2015

Here's a look at Scout's week two College Football Power Rankings, as everyone is chasing the Ohio State Buckeyes. Teams like Alabama, Notre Dame and Texas A&M made moves while programs like Stanford and Arizona State dropped after college football's first weekend of action.

We might not see anyone play Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes as well as the Hokies did until the later stages of Ohio State's schedule in November. They just have too many weapons - even when they are missing four terrific players because of suspension. Their stars made plays: quarterback Cardale Jones, wide receiver Michael Thomas and running back Ezekiel Elliot. That's not even counting Braxton Miller, who stole the headlines in the 42-24 win over a good Virginia Tech team on the road.

It was the Derrick Henry show for Alabama against Wisconsin. He rushed for 147 yards and three scores on 13 carries in the Crimson Tide’s 35-17 win over the Badgers. Quarterback Jake Coker got the start for Alabama. He managed the offense well, going 15/21 for 213 yards, one score and no picks. Backup Cooper Bateman then went 7/8 for 51 yards. Alabama held Wisconsin to 40 yards rushing.

Auburn held on to beat Louisville 31-24. New starting quarterback Jeremy Johnson had an up-and-down opener. He finished 11/21 for 127 yards, one score and three interceptions. He also rushed for a touchdown. Running back Peyton Barber had a big second half for the Tigers, rushing for 115 yards on 24 carries. The Auburn defense made a lot of big plays under new coordinator Will Muschamp. They even scored a touchdown on an 82 yard fumble return by Justin Garrett.

Malik Zaire was terrific in his first home start at Notre Dame, as they shredded Texas 38-3. He went 19/22 for 313 yards and three touchdown passes. The Fighting Irish defense held the Longhorns to 163 total yards. Notre Dame running back Tarean Folston tore his ACL during their win, though, and will miss the rest of the season.

TCU survived their opener on the road at Minnesota, 23-17. Quarterback Trevone Boykin passed for 246 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 92 yards and a score to lead the Horned Frogs . The Gophers' underrated defense held TCU to their lowest point total in nearly a year and a half. Boykin, a Heisman Trophy candidate, struggled to get into any kind of rhythm for most of the night.

It was a little tougher of an opening game than the Spartans would have liked, but Michigan State still prevailed 37-24 over Western Michigan. Quarterback Connor Cook was 15/31 for 256 yards and two scores, though he struggled with accuracy. Freshman running back L.J. Scott rushed for 77 yards while Madre London had two rushing touchdowns. The Spartan defense struggled defending the pass, yielding 365 passing yards, but did have seven sacks. They also allowed 18 rushing yards. Western Michigan standout wide receiver Corey Davis had 10 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown.

The Bears rolled in their opener over, SMU 56-21. New Baylor starting quarterback Seth Russell threw for 376 yards and five touchdowns and also ran for a score. Three of his TD passes went to senior wide receiver Jay Lee. Wide receivers Corey Coleman and KD Cannon both had big games as well. Coleman had five catches for 178 yards while Cannon had three for 104 yards. The Bears had 723 of total offense and averaged 10.48 per play against the Mustangs in the Chad Morris' SMU coaching debut.

You couldn’t ask for a better start by UCLA true freshman QB Josh Rosen. He got off to a great start and led the Bruins to a 34-16 win over Virginia. Rosen threw the ball exceptionally well, finishing 28/35 for 351 yards and three touchdown passes. Linebacker Myles Jack rushed for a score and defensive lineman Kenny Clark caught a short Rosen TD pass. Defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes tore his ACL and is out for the year. That’s a big loss for the Bruins.

Vernon Adams had a nice debut for the Ducks as Oregon beat his old team, Eastern Washington, 61-42. Adams threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Royce Freeman rushed for 180 yards and three scores. The Oregon defense allowed 549 yards, which is a big cause of concern going into next week’s game at East Lansing. Adams left the game after a big, late hit by Eastern Washington’s John Kreifels but should be good to go on Saturday.

USC pounded Arkansas State, 55-6. USC quarterback Cody Kessler passed for 236 yards and four touchdowns and Tre Madden rushed for 100 yards and a score in the rout. The Trojans did give up five sacks. They played 13 true freshmen, as they are looking add depth at many key positions.

The Rebels destroyed Tennessee-Martin, 76-3. Starting for Ole Miss this season at quarterback is junior college transfer Chad Kelly. He finished 9/15 for 211 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Kelly also rushed for a score. Running back Jaylen Walton also rushed for 65 yards and two TDs. Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell returned to the Ole Miss lineup and caught four passes. Defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche caught a touchdown pass and blocked a field goal. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil was held out as a precautionary measure while the NCAA continues its investigation stemming from accusations made by Tunsil’s stepfather over the summer. Starting linebacker C.J. Johnson also sat out Saturday.

Florida State pounded Texas State 59-16 behind the play of quarterback transfer Everett Golson. He was 19 for 25 for 302 yards and four touchdowns in the win. More importantly, he showed good command of the offense and didn’t commit a turnover. Running back Dalvin Cook rushed for 156 yards and two scores as well for the Seminoles.

The Aggies caught some true freshman lightning from Christian Kirk on Saturday night in their big win over a good Arizona State team 38-17. Kirk had a first half 79 yard punt return for a touchdown and a fourth quarter 66 yard catch and run for a score. The A&M defense was outstanding in their first game under new coordinator John Chavis. They had nine sacks and 14 tackles for a loss.

The Razorbacks have a new offensive coordinator in Dan Enos and he and coach Brett Bielema have to be pleased with senior signal caller Brandon Allen. He set career highs with 308 yards and four scores on just 18 throws in Arkansas’s 48-13 win over UTEP. Running back Alex Collins rushed 12 times for 127 yards and a touchdown.

The Tigers whipped Wofford 49-10 on Saturday afternoon. Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns to lead Clemson. The Tigers scored five rushing TDs and played 13 true freshmen. The Tigers defense held Wofford to 213 total yards of offense. Clemson got a scare from wide receiver Mike Williams, who injured his neck after hitting the goal post attempting to catch a pass. An MRI revealed that he suffered a small fracture in his neck area. Doctors are confident that he will recover and that the injury is not career-ending, but he will miss several weeks.

In a shortened game in Athens, Georgia whipped Louisiana-Monroe 51-14. Georgia running backs Nick Chubb and Keith Marshall each ran for two touchdowns and combined for 193 rushing yards. Greyson Lambert got the start at quarterback. He was 8/12 for 141 yards and two scores. There was a 76-minute lightning delay in the third quarter, and more lightning was in the vicinity when the game ended at the 9:54 left in fourth quarter.

The Vols beat a pesky Bowling Green team 59-30 behind a punishing ground game. Led by running backs Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara, Tennessee rushed for 399 yards and six touchdowns. Quarterback Josh Dobbs passed for 205 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another 82 yards and a score. The defense gave up too many points and yards (557) including 433 through the air.

Georgia Tech blasted Alcorn State 69-6 on Thursday night behind their lethal triple option attack that netted 476 yards on the ground. The Yellow Jackets were led by freshman running back Marcus Marshall who rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns. New B-back and Stanford transfer Patrick Skov also rushed for three touchdowns.

The Sooners beat Akron 41-3. Quarterback Baker Mayfield passed for 388 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in the win. Running back Joe Mixon had 142 yards of total offense after missing last season because of suspension. Oklahoma defense held Akron to 226 yards of offense.

In one of the most anticipated games of the opening college football weekend, Utah beat Michigan 24-17. The Utes defense forced three Jake Ruddock picks, including a fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown by Justin Thomas. Utah quarterback Travis Wilson passed for 208 yards and rushed for 53 yards and one touchdown. Utah running back Devontae Booker added 69 yards and a score as well.

The Broncos held on to beat Washington at home in Chris Petersen’s return to Boise State, 16-13. They led 16-0 before the Huskies climbed back in the game. Washington missed a late, game-tying 46yard field goal. Jake Browning became the first true freshman to ever start the opening game at Washington. He finished 20-34 for 150 yards and an interception. Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols rushed for 89 yards and two scores.

Quarterback Dak Prescott accounted for three scores, two through the air and one on the ground in Mississippi State’s 34-16 win over Southern Miss. Prescott completed 22/38 passes for 237 yards and also added 72 yards rushing. Brandon Holloway pitched in with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Bulldogs defense did a poor job of getting off the field. They yielded 413 total yards to Southern Miss and the Golden Eagles had 37:45 minutes of time of possession.

The Tigers roared past Southeast Missouri, 34-3. Quarterback Maty Mauk was 12/22 for 188 yards, two touchdown passes and an interception. Missouri lost their star running back Russell Hansbrough to an ankle injury in the first half. Linebacker Kentrell Brothers finished with a career-best 16 tackles and blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown for Missouri.

Alabama shut down the Wisconsin offense, specifically their run game, as the Crimson Tide dominated the Badgers 35-17. Wisconsin was limited to 268 yards of offense and only 40 (1.9 yard per attempt) on the ground in Paul Chryst head coaching debut. Quarterback Joel Stave finished 26/39 for 228 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Rich Rodriguez and his Arizona program had two big scares on Thursday night. First, they survived a pesky Texas San Antonio team 42-32. In the 10 point win All-American linebacker Scooby Wright suffered an undisclosed knee injury and will miss three to four weekd. Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon completed 22 of 36 passes for 229 yards and four touchdowns. The Wildcats defense struggled, giving up 525 total yards to UTSA.

In what was billed as the best game on Saturday, Arizona State fell to Texas A&M 38-17 in Houston. The Sun Devils didn’t have an answer for the Aggies defensive front. They allowed nine sacks and 14 tackles for a loss. ASU QB Mike Bercovici was 25/41 for 199 yards and a touchdown for the Sun Devils. In moving from running back to wide receiver D.J. Foster caught six passes for 48 yards.

The Cardinals lost to Auburn 31-24 at the Georgia Dome. True freshman quarterback Lamar Jackson sparked Louisville in the second half. He threw for 100 yards and rushed for 106 yards. The Cardinals left points on the field and made too many mistakes, though.

The Gophers played the Horned Frogs tough, losing by six, 23-17, on Thursday. Mitch Leidner was 19/35 for 197 yards with a touchdown pass. Rodney Smith rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown. For a team like this that lost a lot to the NFL and graduation, they played this high flying TCU team well, especially on defense. The Gophers held them to half their 2014 point production.

Oklahoma State escaped with a road win at Central Michigan on Thursday night 24 - 13. It was their defense that saved the day and the offense that finally woke up in the second half when the Cowboys trailed 13 - 10. Oklahoma State scored the final 14 points to win by 11. Cowboys young QB Mason Rudolph scored on a 21-yard run in the third quarter and Oklahoma State never looked back.